Choice
by ShadowLink5
Summary: Thalia goes to a training camp with the five Links. One of them catches her eye…and then things get complicated. Modern AU, rated T to be safe.
1. First Day

**Sorry for the long chapter! I usually don't write this much, but it **_**is **_**the introductory chapter…**

**Please read and review, I hope you enjoy it!**

**And, there is minor cursing from Blue, but all you see is stars, like **** that, so you don't have to worry. **

I approach the polished stone steps of Gaepora University's only dormitory, Williams. A big-bellied man with a white beard and an orange robe awaits me at the top, holding the door open.

"Welcome, Thalia!" he says as I reach the top step. He holds out a hand.

"You must be Headmaster Gaepora," I reply, shaking his hand and looking him in the eye.

"This is Williams, your dormitory, as you probably already know. That building in front of us is the dining hall, and beyond that is the library. The stables are across from the library. Do you see the two cabins over there by the forest?" he points.

"Yes."

"That's the Sparring Hall on the left, and the Magic Training Center on the right. In the forest we have set up an archery range." He turns back towards the dorm.

"Your room number is 6. This is a small building, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. Your schedule is on your desk in your room. If you need anything, my office is down the hall next to the bathroom."

"When can I meet the others?"

"You can start right now, if you want."

"Thank you!" I step inside the building and look on the right side for my number. There it is on the end, the six in little gold lettering.

I drag my small suitcase down the hall and open the door.

It's nothing spectacular. There is a bed with an uncovered mattress (good thing I brought some sheets), a small closet, a desk, and a mirror on the wall. I also notice a door on the side of the wall. I try the brass knob out of curiosity, but it is locked. It's probably just a closet anyways.

As I set my luggage down on my bed, I hear an argument outside and somebody cursing.

"Get the **** out of my room! I told you not to! It's bad enough that our rooms have to be next to each other!"

I stop and listen to the conversation.

"But Blue," a higher-pitched voice protests.

"Shut the **** up, Red!"

"Blue, watch your language," somebody else says calmly.

"He's right. Swearing won't get you anywhere; it only feels good when you're mad. Besides, Red is your brother."

"I don't FREAKING-hey! Get that smug smile off your face before I smash your head!"

_I wonder what's going on, _I think and decide to investigate. The voices are coming from room 3, diagonally across from me, so I come and watch from the doorway.

Five nearly identical boys glance at me as I lean on the doorframe awkwardly. Four of them have blonde hair and blue eyes except one, who has dark purple hair and crimson eyes. They all wear different colored tunics- red, green, blue, violet, and black.

"Hi! I'm Red!" says a shorter boy wearing a red tunic. He was the one Blue was yelling at.

"Hi, I'm Thalia," I introduce myself.

"That's Blue and Green," he says, pointing to the boys with their respective colored tunics. "Vio is the one wearing purple and Shadow is wearing black."

"That's cool," I say, not sure what else to say.

"What room number are you?" Green asks.

"I'm 6. What about the rest of you?"

"I'm 1, Green is 2, Blue is 3-"

"-Which is the one you're STANDING IN after I asked Red to GET OUT!" Blue interrupts.

"Blue is 3, Shadow is 4, and Red is 5," Vio finishes, ignoring his steaming-mad brother.

"Okay. I'll remember that," I say.

A watch beeps somewhere. Vio checks his wrist. "5:15. Dinnertime." Blue leads the way out of the door, grumbling something about people not listening to him, and the rest of us follow behind.

I'm a slower walker, so I walk my own pace at the very back. The rest of them all walk together in a straight line a few feet ahead, except Shadow, who walks in the middle, but close to them. Even though we just met, I begin to worry that I'll be the invisible background person again. I'm pretty outgoing, but sometimes I have my quiet moments, and apparently you have to be outgoing all the time to be popular. Or, at least, it seems that way.

My lonely thoughts are interrupted when Shadow pulls back and walks with me.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Walking at the back of the group, huh?"

"I'm used to it by now."

We enter the dining hall.

"I usually sit by myself in the cafeteria," he says, hinting.

"Okay." I grab a tray for Shadow and then a tray for myself and we get into the line for mashed potatoes and gravy.

I go through the line first and wait for Shadow to finish and we walk together to one of the two tables. The other four crowd around the one across the cafeteria.

"I'm glad I have somebody to sit by," he says as we sit down on opposite sides.

"Me too."

"You said you were used to it."

"Yeah…I used to hang out with a group of older kids, five or six year age difference at the least. I was a sister to them, and we loved each other a lot, but because of the age difference, I always seemed to be in the background- well, most of the time. Especially when one of them that was closer to me started to date somebody, and I felt even more excluded. I've also gone to camps where I didn't know anybody, and I tried to make myself known, but…yeah."

"I know exactly how you feel. Until you came, I've always wanted to be with those four; I've wanted to be accepted by them, especially since I'm their shadow."

"They're just like a little clique, aren't they?" I look over at them with slight disgust.

"Hey, at least we have each other." Shadow stares at me, an odd smile on his face. I stare back until I can't take the awkwardness anymore and then I look down and feel my face get hot for some reason.

He clears his throat. "So, uh, what class are you taking?

"Magic."

His crimson eyes light up like fires. "Really? I'm taking Magic too! How good are you?"

"Well, I've been training since I was young."

"Guess we'll see who's better." Shadow winks at me and a mischievous smile crosses his face.

"Challenge accepted." I stand up, taking my tray, and go to put it away. He comes with me and then we sit back down and wait to be excused.

"What's next?" I ask. "I haven't really had much time to memorize my schedule."

"Connections 2. It's like our first Connections class, which is in the morning, but instead of hanging out with all six students, the headmaster assigns us one person to get to know."

"How do you know this stuff?"

"What do you mean?"

"The camp starts tomorrow, but you seem to know all about the classes, if you know what I mean."

"We were here last year. There were only us five, so I was by myself the whole year, and Connections 2 got a little awkward because there was a group of three to a group of two."

A bell rings and we all stand up and walk towards the door. "How do we know who we're assigned to in Connections 2?"

"Headmaster Gaepora posts it every day while we're eating Dinner. I hope I'm with you."

"Me too." As we head toward the door, we see the others crowding around a piece of paper on the wall.

"Yay!" I hear Red squeal, and Blue groans loudly as they head out the door together. Shadow and I walk up to the list. I am paired up with Vio.

"See you later, Shadow," I call over my shoulder as I walk out with Vio.

"Bye."

"Found a friend, haven't you?" Vio says as we walk back towards the dorm.

"Yep."

"Shadow can be a little mischievous at times. He especially likes picking on Blue."

I chuckle. "I can see why."

We walk in silence for a little bit until Vio speaks again.

"Connections 2 lasts almost 3 hours, can you believe it?"

I laugh. "I hope we like each other."

He smiles at me. "Me too."

Vio's watch alarm goes off. "9:00 already? Wow."

"Time flies when you're having fun." I smirk at him.

"We should hang out together more often," he says as he gets up. "It's almost lights out. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." I wave at him. He waves back and then goes back to his room.

_Wow, two new friends already, _I think as I get ready for bed. _Maybe this camp won't be so bad._


	2. Shadow

**On second thought, maybe these chapters will get super long. I don't know.**

**What do you guys think of my story so far? I would love to get some feedback! **

RING! RING! RING! My alarm clock wakes me up with a sound almost more annoying than the beeping noise when you have three hearts left.

The digitalized numbers read 7:00. We have only half an hour to get ready until breakfast time, so I get up immediately.

Shadow and I meet each other in the hallway when we're done getting ready and then we walk out the door together, just like last night.

"Hi," I say, rubbing my eyes.

"Hi Thalia." He lets out a long yawn.

"Didn't get enough sleep?"

"I stayed awake the whole night. I could fall asleep any moment now." He does his best to smile at me and I smile back.

In the cafeteria, we go through the routine again and then we begin to eat.

"I think I'll take a nap," Shadow says after he's finished, and lays his head down on the table. I find myself staring at his fluffy hair and I kind of want to run my fingers through it. Then I dismiss the thought.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"I don't drink…" He goes limp. I decide to go get him some anyway, but I add some sugar and creamer, just in case. When I come back, I nudge him.

"Get up, sleepyhead."

He raises his head a little bit and looks at me with drooping eyes. "I don't drink coffee."

"Don't worry; I put lots of creamer in it. You won't even taste the black."

"Fine." He pulls his hand out from under his other arm and reaches for it, and then he takes a sip. "This isn't actually too bad." I make him finish the whole thing, and then wait for it to kick in. It does, and eventually he sits up and starts to make more conversation.

"Ready for your official first day?" he asks.

"Yep." I shrug, indifferent.

In the background, I hear the other Links laughing a little too loud, and I look over at them. Blue is glancing back at us every now and then and whispering to the others, and then they laugh. Shadow follows my eye and looks back as well.

"How cute, they're gossiping about us," he says dryly.

Somebody stands up and walks towards us. It's Vio.

"What's he coming over here for?" Shadow whispers, scowling.

"We were assigned to each other in Connections 2 yesterday. He said that he wanted to hang out with me. Come on, he seems really nice," I whisper as he comes closer.

"Hi," the purple-clad student says, sitting by me.

"Hey," we reply.

"What classes are you guys taking?"

"Magic," Shadow says, rolling his eyes when Vio's not looking.

"Cool. Hey, want to hang out during Free Time?"

"Sure," I say.

The end-of-meal bell rings and all six students shuffle out of the cafeteria. The three of us walk together quietly and then Vio joins the other three when the path between the Sparring Hall and the Magic Training Center splits.

"He's too quiet," says Shadow as we walk towards the wooden building.

"So? I thought you wanted to be accepted."

"I do."

"What's wrong with him?"

We are interrupted by a lady coming out the building and intercepting us.

"Welcome to the Magic Training Center!" she calls with a huge smile on her face. Somebody is _way _too happy this morning. "I'm Mrs. McClennan, your instructor, but you can call me Coachie!"

"She acts just like Red, it's annoying," Shadow whispers into my ear.

"Come on in!" she says, ushering us into a giant room. The only item around is a dummy with thick armor in the middle of the floor. "I'm so excited to see you again this year, Shadow Link!" He rolls his eyes behind her back while she turns to me.

"And you must be the new student, Thalia! Oh, we're going to have so much fun together! OK, let's begin with what we already know. Shadow, I want you to command whatever items you want, and then go ahead and show me what you've learned since last year!"

Shadow smirks and steps forward. He disappears suddenly. The room darkens and I hear a yell. Shadow appears, hovering in the middle of the room, a dark sword drawn, and slashes it. A giant arc of light comes out of the sword and hits the dummy, smashing its head clean off. The room gains light and he appears next to us again.

"Very good! I see you've perfected that move you showed me last year!" Mrs. McClennan says, clapping enthusiastically. "What have you learned, Thalia?"

I step into the center of the room and wave my hand, making a dark whip appear in my hand and knives appear inside my pocket. Then I say a magic word and several dark enemies appear in a wide circle around me, preparing to attack with swords drawn.

I give a command, and they rush at me. I swing my whip around, knocking most of them down, and then pull the knives out my pocket and finish the rest off. As they die, they disappear in dark purple clouds.

"Not bad, for a girl." Shadow winks at me as I come back to them.

"Wow, that was just…excellent! You two have so much potential!" she praises, clapping. "I don't know what to teach you, you're just both so advanced!" She turns to Shadow. "What weapons can you use?"

"I like to blow up things and I can use a sword well. But mostly, I like to use my magic." He makes an L shape with his right hand and a coil of dark energy comes out of his finger. It twists towards me and tickles my ear.

"What about you, Thalia?"

"I'm very advanced in magic; I've been training since I was two years old- that's been twelve years now. I can also use the bow and arrow, knives and a whip."

"Wow! I'm so impressed!" The instructor smiles at me. "I have to go prepare a lesson for tomorrow. Why don't you two just go have fun until Connections?"

"Okay." Shadow and I walk outside.

"How much time do we have?" I ask.

"We should have about half an hour."

The two of us walk down the path to the Sparring Hall. "Do you ride?" Shadow asks randomly.

"Yes. Why?"

"Maybe we could, um, go horseback riding in Free Time."

"Both of us? What about Vio?"

"Oh, forget him. We can hang out with him tomorrow." We watch the other Links through a side window in the Sparring Hall, training hard. I watch Vio spar with Blue. He parries a strike with his own Four Sword.

"Connections is next, right?"

"Yeah. It's where all of us students hang out on the Quad together."

I look at him, confused.

"That's the area between the buildings."

"Oh." He smirks.

"Shut up, you."

"Make me." I stick my tongue out at him in mock defiance.

I turn my attention back towards the others Links, who are starting to leave the building. Both of us take the cue and walk out towards the middle of the Quad.


	3. Connections

**Whoo! Three chapters in one night! I'm going to start on the fourth now:)**

**Heh…I don't really have any experience with archery. At all. So later in the chapter, if I say something stupid, please forgive me:) **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh, and sorry for the wait. I had school and other stuff.**

We only have to wait a few minutes before the other Links start towards us. Red skips, Blue stomps, and Vio and Green walk normally.

"Hi guys! I love Connections!" Red says as we all sit down in an awkward oval shape. Vio happens to sit down by Blue, who gets flustered. "Go sit somewhere else!" he growls, and Vio takes his spot next to me. I guess he's not too happy about Vio beating him in sword fighting.

"Being the leader of this year's Connections group, I have planned a little something for each day. Starting today, I will be asking you all a Question of the Day. Occasionally, we will go out and do something together or play games. I have some slips of paper and pencils, if there are any suggestions." Green hands three slips to each of us, and everybody except me starts to write down their ideas.

Shadow writes down something, and then, covering the paper carefully so the others can't see, he shows me his suggestion, trying hard not to laugh. _Prank Headmaster Gaepora, _it reads. I look at him and shake my head. "Don't do it," I whisper.

"Shadow? Is there something you want to share with the rest of us?" Green addresses.

"No." Shadow scowls.

"Okay, then." Green turns back towards the general group.

"So, for the first Question of the Day, what electives are you all taking after Connections?" he asks us. "Let's start with you, Thalia, and then go around in our circle, ending with Shadow." He was definitely a leader.

"What are the choices again?"

"Archery, Horseback Riding, Strategy, and Leadership," Vio says.

"Archery."

"Vio?"

"Strategy."

"I'm taking Leadership," says Green. "Blue, Red, and Shadow?"

"Archery, Horseback Riding, Archery," they say in order.

"Sounds good. I hope you all have a good time," he says and dismisses us. Shadow, Blue, and I (which Blue doesn't look too happy about) walk towards the forest while Red skips towards the stables and Vio and Green walk back to Williams.

Blue ignores us and walks a little faster, leaving us next to each other.

"I have a suspicious feeling you changed your elective so you could be with me," I remark.

"Who? Me? What's it to you?" he says, avoiding the statement.

"Don't deny it. I could see it in your eyes. You probably wanted to take Horseback Riding."

"I changed, but it was because I didn't want to be with whiny Red."

We reach the forest and start walking until we reach a clearing. A man stands off to the right, aiming an arrow towards us. _Do we have a psycho for a teacher? _I wonder as the three of us step back. The man lets go of the string and the arrow pierces the target, which happens to be a few feet away from us.

He walks towards us. "Sorry if you thought I was aiming for you." He laughs. "I'm Instructor Howard. Welcome to Archery."

"Hi," I mumble.

"Well, teach us already!" Blue says impatiently.

"Patience, student. Before we begin, does anybody else know how to use a bow and arrow?"

Shadow nudges me and I raise my hand a little bit.

"Ah, good. What's your name?"

"Thalia," I reply.

"Do you feel comfortable teaching the others how to use a bow and arrow?"

"Not really; I'm not good at teaching others."

"Oh." He looks a little disappointed, and I feel a bit bad. "Okay, then. Are you comfortable training on your own if I give these two a little more attention?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Good. Then why don't you go off to the side and practice shooting some targets?"

I nod and then he looks at the other two. "First, you need to…"

I go over to a rack where six bows and matching quivers are hanging. I choose a small beginner's bow to get the feel of it and then I grab the quiver next to it and several arrows. Slinging the quiver over my shoulder as I walk, I look around for a target to aim for.

I see one high up on a tree. _That's the one for me, _I think as I pull an arrow out of the quiver, nock it on the string, and get into the correct position.

Holding the bow steadily in my right hand, I shut my eye, pull back on the string, and let the arrow fly. To my disappointment, it doesn't even come close to the target. _I haven't done this in forever. _Oh well; I'll try again.

I nock another arrow and this time it embeds itself into the trunk just under the round bull's-eye target. _Getting closer. Just a little higher…_I try again and hit the red bull's eye, smack dab in the middle. The feeling of hitting the target sends a rush through me, and I shoot another arrow. And another. Soon I run out of arrows, and except for the first two I shot, all of them have hit the bull's eye.

I go to get more arrows, but Instructor Howard steps in front of me. "Sorry to interrupt, but class is over." He chuckles and takes the quiver and bows from me, and then looks up at my work.

"Impressive. Not many can hit that target on their third try."

I smile.

"Go to Lunch, now." He shoos me away good-naturedly with a wave of his hand.

Shadow comes up next to me. "Wow, I'm impressed."

"How'd you do?"

"Horribly. But it was fun to see Blue get pissed off. He broke a couple arrows out of pure anger, having missed the target so many times." We laugh and then walk to Lunch.


	4. Forest

**Why is this chapter so short? After the last three, it doesn't feel natural. **

**Well, there we have it. Four chapters in one night. **

After lunch, Shadow and I head to the stables together. I choose an elegant white Andalusian mare and he chooses a black Arabian stallion. After we saddle up, we ride out of the stable, down the dirt path in the middle of the Quad, and towards the forest.

"How long have you been riding horses?" Shadow asks as we pass through the archery range.

"Ever since I was young, I've been learning a lot of things. Magic, archery, knife throwing, use of the whip, and horseback riding."

"Why?"

"I've always enjoyed fighting. I mean, not as aggressively as Blue, but I figured that it would be cool to learn how to use weapons. Sort of like how people like to learn new musical instruments."

"That's cool. Hey, speaking of music, do you play anything?"

"Not really, but I can sing. What about you?"

"I...I kind of like to sing, too. But I don't like anybody to know." He blushes.

I smile at him. "Would you sing with me?"

"Maybe." He smiles back and looks into my eyes a little longer than normal. Then he looks away.

There is an awkward silence as we follow the trail through the woods.

"It's gorgeous out here," I say. "The smell of the trees, the birds singing…it so relaxing." Shadow nods.

"I like it out here too. Maybe we should go riding more often."

"We should."

Another uncomfortable silence. We keep walking our horses through the woods, admiring them as we go.

"Is that a stream?" Shadow says. I stop my horse and listen. The sound of water spilling onto rocks indefinitely is somewhere in front of us.

"I think so. Let's stop for a while and relax."

We walk our horses forward a little more and sure enough, there is a small stream. The grassy bank is big enough to tether our horses and also lay down. We dismount, tie the reins to small trees, letting the horses graze, and then lay down next to the stream.

I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the water, the horses nearby, the birds singing, and Shadow's breathing. It's all so peaceful.

Soon I open my eyes, finding that I'm unable to keep them closed, and look over at Shadow. He turns his eyes away, but I've already caught him staring. I close my eyes again and try to sleep and take advantage of the beautiful serenity out here.

Before I know it, Shadow is shaking me awake. "Time to go," he says softly. "We have about half an hour before dinner. They'll get suspicious if we're late."

I reluctantly allow him to help me up, and then we mount our horses and ride back to the camp.


	5. Morning

**I got a little bit of writer's block on this chapter; I don't think it's going to be as good as some of the others; I feel like it's super slow. But I think it'll get better soon. **

**Also, I don't know what Shadow would read if he was forced to read, so I tried to pick something dark.**

**-Sorry, I haven't been uploading chapters. If you want more chapters uploaded, reviews are great encouragement…It's been kind of slow lately. I'm putting up a poll, and I want your honest opinion. Is it too slow? Too fast? What did I do wrong? Any plot holes? Is there anything I'm doing right?—**

_**And **_**as a little bonus for making you guys wait so long, I'm putting up two chapters instead of one:)**

I wake up the next morning and check the time on my alarm clock. 5:00? That can't be right. I sit up in bed, turn around, and peek through the blinds of the window. It's still dark outside.

Deciding it's probably nothing, I lie back down on my pillow and try to fall back asleep.

Half an hour, no luck. My mind buzzes about this and that and everything else and refuses to sleep, so I get up instead of trying to fight it more. Maybe it'll be more peaceful outside.

I quietly open the door to my room, tiptoe down the hall, and push open the heavy front doors of the dormitory.

Vio sits on the stone steps, silhouetted by the semi-dark sky. His eyes are closed and he leans his head back, enjoying the cool morning air. He opens his eyes and turns his head to see who it is. Seeing me, he pats the step next to him, motioning for me to sit down, and I do.

"Good morning," I say with a yawn.

"Did you get good sleep?"

"Sort of. I woke up half an hour ago but I couldn't fall back asleep."

He closes his eyes and tips his head back again, resuming his position. "I love getting up early. It's refreshing."

"I don't really like getting up early if I can help it. But hey, early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Vio smiles. "How's it been going for you, hanging out with Shadow and all? Has he played any tricks on you yet?"

"I like him a lot, we have things in common. People say that he likes to play pranks, and that he's a troublemaker, but he hasn't really done anything to me."

"How odd…"

"So, want to hang out with us today?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

After a silence, I decide to lean back and relax too. Maybe I should get up early more often.

Soon, Vio stands up. "It's time to get up. I'll see you at breakfast." He leaves, and I stay a little bit longer in the cool of the morning before getting ready.

Vio joins Shadow and I in the breakfast line for waffles. "Hey."

"Hi, Vio!" I say cheerfully. Waking up early has actually improved my morning grumpiness.

Shadow says nothing and I have to nudge him to get him to be friendly. "Hi…" he mutters.

"Can I hang out with you two during Free Time?"

"Sure," I reply. "What would you want to do?"

"I don't know, go to the library and hang out? But that's just my idea."

"I'll bring a book to read and some snacks," I say as we take our trays over to our seats. Vio sets his on the other side of Shadow and I and then walks off towards the bathroom.

"What's the deal here?" Shadow speaks with a sharp tone in his voice.

"Like I've said before, I thought you wanted to be accepted. Vio wants to hang out with us, and he seems like a pretty cool guy. Give him a chance. Besides, what's your problem with him anyway?"

"I saw you and him sitting outside this morning."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

"Well, you could always…" He trails off.

"Always what?"

"Nothing." He starts to eat. I would continue the conversation, but Vio is just coming back.

"It kind of feels good to be away from the other Links for a change," he says, sitting down and starting to eat. "Blue's always yelling at Red, who's always whining about it, and then Green tries to break up the fight. It's hard to ignore them. But you two are really nice."

"Thanks."

The bell rings and we're dismissed from Lunch. It takes a little coaxing, but Shadow finally agrees to come with us. First, we stop by Williams to grab some necessary items, and then we walk together to the library.

We walk inside and Vio shows us around; I guess this is where he goes during Free Time. Eventually we find a private corner on the second floor. Three beanbags sit in front of a large window overlooking the Quad, with a perfect view of the stables and the forest in the background.

Vio takes a book out of his pack, _To Kill a Mockingbird_, as well as a bag of barbecue chips and a secret stash of candy. He begins to read and I do the same with my own book. Shadow sits on his own beanbag with a sullen look on his face and stares out the window.

Not five minutes later, Vio looks up from his book and at Shadow. "Do you want something to read? It won't be much fun staring out the window for four hours."

Shadow catches my eye and I raise my eyebrows at him, sending him a psychic message to stop being so irritable. He gets it and sighs deeply. "Fine."

Vio helps him up from the beanbag and then walks off while asking him about what he liked to read. Soon they come back, Shadow with a novel in his hand and not looking very happy about it.

They sit down and we resume our reading time.

After finishing several long chapters, I check the clock on the wall. 4:50 already? Time sure flies when you're reading. I glance over at the boys. Vio is deeply immersed in the world of Scout and Jem and Shadow seems to be enjoying his copy of _Macbeth. _I hate to disturb them, but it's almost time for dinner.

"Vio, Shadow," I say softly. Shadow traces his finger down the page to finish the paragraph, folds the end of the page over, and closes the book. Vio saves his spot with a bookmark.

"Well, I have to go back to Williams really quick. See you guys at dinner," Vio says as we walk out of the building. Shadow and I start to make our way to the Dining Hall.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I tease, poking him in the sides playfully. He twists away with a small giggle. "No, it wasn't. I actually really like the book, although it's hard to understand."

"I was sort of talking about Vio."

"Well…I guess he's not too bad." Shadow gives me a smug smile.


	6. Different

**Ergh. I'm horrible at ending chapters. Sorry. **

**I would love some opinions from you guys on how this story is going! :) Thanks!**

"Ready for our first simulation test?" Vio sits next to me with a plate of eggs and bacon.

"Hey, didn't you sit by her last meal?" Shadow pokes fun at the boy with the purple tunic as he brings his tray on the other side of the table. It's all in good fun; we are all good friends now, after about a week or so. Vio likes to call it our 'trifriendship'.

"When is it going on again?" I ask, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

"During Elective," Vio replies. "We get to train for it during Lesson."

"Don't we always train during our lesson?" Shadow speaks.

"Smart aleck." Vio smiles at him.

"Well, best of luck to you two," I say.

"You too. By the way, how's Magic been going? I heard Mrs. McClennan can be a little bit…er…animated."

Shadow laughs. "You wouldn't believe it. We're going to have so much fun together!" he mimics her perfectly with a high-pitched voice and smiling widely. Then his mouth reverts to his usual blank expression. "Despite her annoyingness, she does know a lot about magic. I wonder where she learned it."

Out of the corner of my eyes, something green moves and I look to see Green coming towards us. "I wonder what Green wants," I say, alerting Vio and Shadow.

"Hey," he says as he slides onto the bench next to Shadow. "I wanted to tell you guys that there's been a slight schedule change. Instead of going to your lesson next, go straight to Connections. And instead of meeting in the Quad, we're meeting in Williams. My room."

"Thanks," Vio replies. Shadow rolls his eyes when the main Link gets up and walks back towards his table.

"Wonder what that's about," Shadow scowls.

"They set up the simulation test in the Quad. As for not having our lesson, our instructors have input on the setup. It's supposed to test what you've been learning."

Ten minutes later, we walk back to Williams and knock on Green's door. Red opens it with a friendly hello and ushers us inside where the rest of the students are waiting.

"Glad you remembered," Green says, sitting on the bed. "Let's begin." Vio, Shadow and I lean against the wall.

"Today's Question of the Day is…." He pauses as he takes a slip of paper, unfolds it, and reads. "Today's question: What has surprised you about camp this year- in a positive way? I will start, then Vio will go, then Thalia next, then Shadow, then Blue, then Red."

The answers are pretty much the same, mentioning how we have a new student (that would be me) or that we have more electives, except Red, who is the only person who mentions Shadow.

"Shadow has really surprised me because he's been acting different, ever since Thalia got here. He hasn't pranked-"

Shadow's cheeks burn a bright red as he gives Red a dirty look, shutting him up. I pretend to stare off into the distance, just for Shadow's sake. Red decides to ignore the look and keeps talking. What an idiot. It's a bad idea to provoke Shadow.

"You haven't pranked anybody in a really long time! I think it's really-"

Shadow quickly gets up and stalks out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

I attempt to follow him, but Vio puts out a hand, holding me back, and gives me a warning look. "Just leave him."

"What did I do?" Red says, looking around.

"I have to-"I try to struggle away from Vio, but he grips my wrist. "It's a bad idea, Thalia. Just give him some space."

Vio squeezes my hand and then lets go. I decide to listen to him. Shadow usually blows over these things quickly. But…why?


	7. Simulation

Connections comes to an end and as we walk out into the hall Shadow joins the back of the group. I look at Vio expectantly and he shakes his head in warning. We open the front doors of the dormitory to a sight like no other.

Headmaster Gaepora and all the instructors of the electives and classes have already set up our test. In the very front, a giant horde of ugly red Bokoblins awaits with toothy grins and wooden spiked clubs. From what little I can, I see twelve Darknuts behind them, two for every one of us, unless they decide to gang up on somebody.

A gong sounds somewhere and the Bokoblins rush at us with hideous screams, clubs raised high and poised to attack. Immediately the four Links draw their swords in answer and I summon my knives. Shadow comes up with a giant bomb and throws it into the group to start the battle.

Most of the Bokoblins are smart enough to run away, but the unlucky curious few stay behind to examine it before being blown to bits in seconds. The shrapnel speeds towards us and we turn our faces away. Most of the monsters survived and advance towards us. We recover quickly with sword slashes and knife blade.

I look around to see where the others are while holding off a group with my knives in right hand, throwing them every which way needed. The four Links are holding their own, and Shadow has disappeared. While most of my attention is turned away, one of the monsters manages to scratch me with its club. I turn around and kick it in the face, knocking it down and stabbing it with the dagger in my left hand.

After the wave of red beasts finally dissipates, we are greeted by the infamous tall, black-armored Darknuts. They divide evenly, two knights to one Link. Until four of them face me. I take precious seconds to whirl around and look for the boy in the black tunic. He is nowhere to be found. I guess I have to do this on my own. But where the heck is he?!

My bow and arrow or my knives obviously won't do against the thick plating covering the Darknuts. I summon my whip, doubtful that I can make a difference with it.

They approach in a sort of line. I decide to take the one on the far right. My plan: To focus on one while dodging the other three. I don't know if it'll work though; I've only trained fighting two at once.

I crack my whip, trying to intimidate them if I can. They don't seem to mind, and I lash it out at my target. The whip edge wraps around part of his helmet and I pull. Only a small section of his faceguard comes off, leaving a small triangle of exposed skin. It's all I have at the moment, so I back away and summon my bow. Taking great care not to get close to any of the other Darknuts, I notch an arrow and aim for the triangle, and then I release. The arrow bounces harmlessly off the armor.

I don't realize how far I've backed away until my back hits the side of Williams. I glance around for an escape, but they've almost cornered me. I try to summon a burst of dark magic, but for some reason, it doesn't come. "Windgust Magica! Raina!"I shout magic words for wind and rain, but nothing happens.

The knights come slowly but surely towards me. There is nowhere to hide; I'm pretty much screwed. They get closer and closer. _I think I failed this test, _I smile to myself, a little humor before death.

The boy with the black tunic appears in front of me with his dark Four Sword drawn. Shadow Link to the rescue. He executes an excellent back slash on the Darknut, taking off a whole shelf of armor. Surprised, the Darknut whirls around slashing his thick blade, but Shadow keeps parrying it and cuts through open spots in the chink of the armor. The other three Darknuts try to injure him, but he is quick on his feet and dodges their every attempt.

Vio, Green, Blue and Red come to help. Vio takes one, Green takes the second, and Blue and Red share the last one. Soon nothing endangers us.

Headmaster Gaepora approaches us. "Well done, students. You have all passed." We cheer. "Your instructors would like to have a word with each of you." He gestures behind him where Mrs. McClennan and the Swordfighting instructor wait.

Mrs. McClennan looks as happy as ever. "I'm so proud of you two! You've grown so well! Especially you, Shadow; that was excellent magic use and swordplay!" Then she turns towards me with a slightly frownier smile. "You did great too, dear. What I would suggest next time is actually _using _your magic."

"It wasn't working. I tried to summon my magic and some wind and rain, but nothing came."

"Oh, I see. I'll have to look into that." She walks back to the Magic Training Center. Headmaster Gaepora turns to us again. "Why don't you two freshen up? You've most definitely earned it. By the way, for your excellent passing of the test, why don't all of you students have Free Time the rest of the day? But be sure to make it to meals." Shadow and I take the cue and head back into Williams.

"Don't be hard on yourself," Shadow says. "I don't know what happened to your magic, but it definitely wasn't your fault."

"Thanks." I smile at him. "Hey, where were you?"

"I was using some dark invisibility powers and surprising our enemies. Don't worry, I got you guys covered."

"Well, good job."

"Thanks," he laughs. "Hey, meet you and Vio in the library later, 'kay?"

"See you." I hurry to be the first one in the shower.


	8. Confession

As I lay in bed that night, I think about my magic going out so suddenly. What had caused it? Before that, all I had done was eat breakfast with Vio and Shadow and go to Connections.

My hand brushes up against a scratch on my right arm where one of the Bokoblins with a club hit me. Maybe that had done it.

I try to search deeper inside about it, but my mind just wants to wander. Eventually I give in and let it. It goes straight to Shadow's actions during Connections. I replay the scene in my head.

_Let's see…Green asked the Question of the Day…Red answered something about Shadow being different, ever since I came. Then he blushed really hard and stormed out. Does that mean…_

A sound coming from my left startles me and I sit up, alarmed. The sound of a knob…the closet? _But it's closed and probably locked, _I think, having tried to open it on the first day.

Despite my disbelief, the knob on my side of the door turns slowly and a dark figure comes out. I look behind him and see another bed. He closes the door behind him softly.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" The sound of Shadow's voice calms me. He sits down on my bed.

"Nah, I was already awake. I didn't know that door could open."

"Yeah, I figured it out a couple of days ago."

Silence. I can barely make out Shadow's figure right next to me, but moonlight from the window illuminates his face a little bit.

"Today, in Connections…Red said something about you…acting different, since I came. That you don't prank anybody anymore…is that true?"

It's hard to see, but I swear I can see him blushing all over. "Yes."

"Why'd you get so angry?"

"I wasn't angry. I was embarrassed."

"Why have you been acting different? I haven't seen you prank anybody. Ever. Except when you suggested we pull something on the headmaster."

"I think you know the answer." Shadow whispers. He reaches up and gently puts his hand on my neck. A look of longing sweeps across his face, drawing me in. Butterflies creep into my stomach as he leans in close and our lips meet.

He finally pulls away and lies down next to me, closing his eyes. I smooth his soft purple hair with my hand until he falls asleep.


	9. Her

She walked toward the back of the group alone, unsure of how to fit in. I was like that; lonely, wanting to be included. I decided to say hello, and I pulled back to talk to her. She sat with me at dinner, and, for the first time in my life, and ever since she's been here, I haven't felt lonely.

She told me about how she felt always in the background, a shadow in the dark. That's why I was attracted to her at first. She also is trained in the art of magic; I thought she would make an excellent friend. We could be an excellent team. And I was right.

From that very first day, we began to hang out with each other. I realized that I didn't have any desire to mess with people anymore. Then, we went horseback riding together during our free time.

When we found the grassy bank next to the stream, I found myself staring at her as she was sleeping. I don't think she ever caught me. I found myself wanting to be next to her, and wanting to stroke her curly brown hair. She looked so beautiful when she slept; I regretted waking her up. Before I did, though, I realized something. I realized that I love her.

It took me all of my courage to kiss her tonight. I hope I haven't been too forward. She thinks I'm asleep as she runs her fingers through my hair, but I'm lying here, thinking about her, like I have for the past few nights. She has no idea how much I really do love her.

_I'm scared, _I talk to myself in my head. _I'm scared that she doesn't love me back. That I'm only her friend. _I try to remember what her reaction was when I kissed her.

"Goodnight, Shadow," she whispers as she puts her hand down and snuggles under her covers. Just as I stretch out my legs and then start to fall asleep, I think I hear her whisper, "I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper back, just in case. Perhaps I am going crazy.


	10. New Assignment

**I'm finally out of the writer's block! Woo! **

The morning light stirs me from my sleep, and I awaken. It appears somebody is sleeping next to me, and for a moment or two I am extremely confused. Then memories from last night remind me, and blush creeps onto my face, remembering.

I glance over at Shadow Link's sleeping figure. He has drawn most of the covers into himself, cuddled up like a little hamster. He opens a sleepy eye and a small smile appears on his face.

"Hey, Thalia."

"Good morning, sunshine." I laugh at his mess of bedhead as he sits up. "You should be getting ready."

He nods and heads back into his own room to get dressed.

He meets me again in the hallway and we walk out together, Vio silently plodding behind us. All of a sudden I feel Shadow take my hand. I don't object, squeezing back in reassurance. We come through the entrance.

Vio doesn't seem to mind us sitting closer to each other than normal; in fact, he doesn't say a word. He is usually quiet, but he always has a little bit to say from time to time, and this morning he doesn't have anything. Maybe he's tired.

As breakfast ends and the three of us walk down to our classes, Vio starts the conversation.

"What do you think we'll be doing, since the simulation test was kind of like a final exam?"

"I have no idea. Apparently, they switch it up every year. Last year, after the test, they just kept teaching us new skills, and our final exam was on the final day of camp," Shadow replies.

"Maybe they'll have something different," I join.

Vio nods at us again as we split our separate ways. Mrs. McClennan comes out of the building towards us.

"I have an announcement to make! The simulation test you took yesterday was actually a final exam! Congratulations on passing!" She smiles widely and then continues talking. "So, last year, we kept teaching you new skills. This year, we're going to change it up a bit! But they'll discuss that later. Go meet out at the Quad." She ushers us back up the path we just came. I look over and see that the other Links are coming too.

Soon, we're all in one big happy group. Headmaster Gaepora has arrived.

He clears his throat, grabbing our attention, and speaks. "As your trainers have already told you, I hope, we're doing things after the simulation test a little different this year. The elders and I have been discussing this and we decided that we should put your new-found skills to the test. A more realistic, dangerous kind of test."

I look over at the Links for their reactions. All of them look excited, with the exception of Red, who looks somewhat confused.

"You will leave in the morning with necessary supplies and equipment. You will be given a mission and will be expected to work together. We will send out a companion on your journey to keep tabs on you, to report on your progress. When your mission is complete, we will decide your final grade."

"So, what's the mission?" Green asks.

"We will tell you tomorrow. In the meantime, your schedules will be slightly different. Go to Connections as normal, but for Elective, you will be training. After Elective, lunch will be served, and your training will continue until 4:00, where you have an hour of Free Time and then dinner. The rest of your schedule is the same."

"I can't wait!" Red says enthusiastically.

"I'll be the best at everything!" Blue speaks up, boldly crossing his arms with his head held high. Shadow smirks and Vio and I stay silent.

"You are dismissed for Connections." The headmaster finally finishes and walks off.

"So what exactly are we going to train in?" I ask.

"It seems that we'll be going through all the classes," Vio replies.

"That's what he said. That means taking archery, swordsmanship, and magic. I think we also get to focus a little on our personal set of skills," Green adds.

"What does that mean?" I feel embarrassed and slightly dumb, as if I'm asking extremely obvious questions. However, they stay patient with me, with the exception of Blue, of course, who rolls his eyes.

"Remember when you told Mrs. McClennan what you were good at? Magic, archery, knives, and the whip? That's what Green means by 'personal set of skills'," Shadow finishes for me.

"Thanks."

"You can do all that? Wow!" Red says, beaming. "I wonder what kind of companion they're going to send us!"

"Most likely a fairy, you idiot," Blue hits Red on the head a little too hard.

Green changes the subject. "Well, what are we going to do for Connections? I feel like camp is coming to an end soon. Any suggestions?"

"We could fight each other!" Blue gets a slightly evil smile on his face. Nobody pays too much attention to his suggestion.

"We could ride our horses into the forest!" Red chimes in.

"I have no preference." Vio says, looking up from a book. Shadow and I chuckle; it's so like him.

"I think horse riding is an excellent idea," Green finishes. "Any objections?" Nobody replies. "OK, come on, then."

Vio stands up and puts his book in his adventure pouch. "Nerd," Blue coughs into his arm as we begin walking on the clear dirt path leading to the stables. On the way, as I walk between Shadow and Vio in the back of the group, I wonder what all of their horses look like. Their personalities probably match.

It doesn't take long to saddle up and we head out towards the forest, taking the same path Shadow and I did before. The road can only fit two next to each other, so we pair up; Vio and Green at the head, Blue and Red in the middle, and Shadow and I, of course, hang out at the back.

As we ride through the dense thicket and past the archery range, Shadow talks.

"Remember a few weeks ago, on our ride out here?"

"Yeah. That was fun." I survey the forest around us. "It's so beautiful out here. I'm going to miss camp a lot."

"Me too."

We keep silent and listen to the others' conversation. As usual, Blue is arguing about something.

"What are we going to do when camp ends?" I look at Shadow.

"Keep in touch." He winks at me and smirks.

"We're here!" Green announces from the front of the line. It's the same area Shadow and I stopped in before.

The six of us dismount and tie our horses to the trees. Vio goes off alone to read his book; Blue, Red, and Green sit in a circle to play some sort of weird game. Shadow motions for me to follow him and starts walking along the bank until we turn a corner and are out of sight of the others. He sits down and I sit directly next to him.

No words are needed; the calm sound of babbling water in the river is enough. I close my eyes and relax, listening to the river, to the birds, to the distant laughter coming from Red as they play their game.

"I'm tired," Shadow turns to the right and lays down, positioning himself so his head can lie on my lap. He gazes up into my eyes, blushing. I start playing with his soft purple hair, teasing it into a mohawk style and then smoothing it down, covering his eyes.

All the while, he is smiling at me, and my heart melts. I have deeper feelings for Shadow than I've ever considered. I love him. And he knows it. Even better, he loves me back.

Eventually he closes his eyes, and I continue playing with his hair. I want to stay in this moment forever…

"Vio! Shadow! Thalia!" Green's parent-like voice calls, beckoning us to come back. It must be time for training.

We appear, one by one, and when we're all together, the six of us ride back into the campground. Waiting for us in the middle of the Quad are the headmaster and all of our instructors: Howard, McClennan, and two others I don't recognize.

It's time.


End file.
